The common toilet seat assembly has been known for over a century. The installation of the toilet seat assembly has always required the installer to maneuver under the back end or flange of the toilet bowl to reach the attaching bolt and fasten the nut. This type of installation has always made removal of the toilet seat assembly for cleaning a cumbersome task. The result has been that the seat assembly is usually only removed when there is a need to change it. Additionally, after remaining in place for a considerable period of time, the nuts and bolts that maintain the seat assembly in place are often badly corroded making removal very difficult, and more so when it is necessary to reach under the flange or get down beneath the flange to perform this task.
A seat assembly that can be easily removed and replaced is taught by Corda in U.S. Pat. No. 4,079,471. A threaded post having a smooth upper portion extending above a flat integral washer is set into each hole in the bowl flange and secured from below with a nut. The bracket of the seat assembly has two smooth walled cylindrical bushings that fit over the smooth upper portions of the posts enabling the seat assembly to be taken off and replaced while the posts remain in place. After time the connections can become worn and loose so that the seat assembly will no longer be held securely in place. A similar arrangement is taught by Hulsebus et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,933,875 where the bolts are passed downward through base members and the holes in the bowl flange and are secured with nuts under the flange. Locking members that cooperate with the base members above the flange fasten the seat assembly in place. The locking members enable the seat assembly to be removed and replaced. See also U.S. Pat. No. 6,381,762 to Moser in which there are heads on the two posts that extend above the flange over which are placed the seat bracket which contains a trough designed to receive the post heads. These patents require the seat brackets to be manufactured to fit the base members and the posts. Richter, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,763,529 describes a threaded rod inserted through the flange opening and secured above and below the flange with nuts. The rod extends upward above the flange and through the hole in the bracket of the seat assembly where it is secured with a third nut. The rough end of the threaded rod is exposed and must be covered by a bracket designed for this purpose.
Reed, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,457,824 discloses a hollow bolt, threaded on its outer surface, smooth in the inner surface and having a rim about the top that is larger in diameter then the opening in the toilet bowl flange. The bolt is placed in the hole in the flange and secured from below with a nut. There is also a hollow pin that fits snugly within the hollow bolt. The pin is smooth on its outer surface, threaded within and has a rim about the top that is larger in diameter then the opening in the toilet seat mounting bracket. There are four vertical slots around the top of the pin. The pin is dropped into the opening in the mounting bracket and a screw having a slightly larger diameter then the hollow of the pin is threaded into the pin so that the upper area is expanded to permanently secure the pin into the opening in the mounting bracket. To place the seat assembly onto the toilet bowl flange the pins are slipped into the smooth hollows of the bolts. To remove the seat assembly it is gripped in two hands and lifted vertically. Repeated removal and replacement can cause damage to the pin or cause wear within the hollow so that over time, the fit will not remain tight.
UK Patent application No. 2167096 to Boorman also discloses a hollow threaded bolt with a rim about the top that is secured to the toilet bowl flange from below with a nut. There is a central area within the hollow of the bolt that is of larger diameter. A spigot having a bulge that cooperates with the larger diameter area of the hollow can be placed within the hollow. The spigot also has a collar to prevent its being forced too far into the hollow and a threaded portion that extends above the collar. A specially shaped nut is threaded onto the top of each spigot. These nuts cooperate with and are attached to the mounting bracket sections of the toilet seat assembly. To attach the seat assembly to the flange the spigots are snap fitted into the hollow bolts and the seat is securely held in place. To remove the seat assembly the bracket must be grasped and pulled upward to release the snap fit. This bolt assembly is designed to be used with a complementing seat assembly and cannot be used with other existing systems. The parts are made of a plastic material and the snap fit can wear and become loose after repeated removals.
There is a need for a bolt assembly that can be used with toilet seat systems currently on the market so that the seats can be easily removed for cleaning without requiring any refitting or special apparatus. There is a need for a bolt assembly that does not rely on a snap fit or friction fit. There is a need for a bolt assembly that is easy and inexpensive to manufacture and easy to use without the need for any tools. There is a need for such a bolt assembly that will not wear out after repeated use.